Can't Start Anything

[zztaproot]

I'm sorry if this is in the wrong subject or is totally unrelated at all, but I have no idea what's wrong, nor do I know where to get help, so I posted here because I think it's the best place.

Anyway, I've been trying to format my computer because my hard drive is possesed by satan, and my computer crashes every time I tried, so I got my friend to help me and he changed my BIOS settings to whatever the default or optimized or something settings were, but now I can't get anywhere...not even back to BIOS. Whenever I boot my computer, I get this message:

BIOS ROM checksum error

Detecting floppy drive A media...
Drive A error. System halt

Now I don't even have a floppy/A drive on my computer, so I'm pretty sure that that has something to do with my problem. I got back into BIOS once and changed the primary boot from Floppy to CDROM, but that did nothing.

Any suggestions?

Basically, I want to figure out how to wipe my hard drive clean or be able to try and format again.

[Ritchie]

If you have no physical floppy drive, the person that helped you optimise or whatever the BIOS apparently made the mistake of assuming a floppy drive in the settings they chose.

You need to enter into the BIOS setup and find out where the floppy setting is. Not the boot order, but where the drives are listed. Find the floppy drive setting and if you have no physical floppy drive change the setting to none. If you see a Floppy Mode 3 setting disable it also.

While you are there see if the hard drive setting looks OK.


When I reset a BIOS's settings I usually load optimised or best or performance (or whatever looks best) defaults, then redetect the IDE drives, check the floppy settings, turn of Floppy Mode 3, and then go through the other areas of the BIOS and perform other customisations/optimisations that the defaults didn't do.

[zonxar]

but now I can't get anywhere...not even back to BIOS

zztaproot is saying he can't even get back into the BIOS setup I believe. Any chance you can add a floppy drive that will allow you to boot up using a bootable disk?

[NickS]

"BIOS ROM checksum error" indicates that the BIOS itself has become corrupted and will need to be reflashed. To do this you will need to
- attach a diskette drive or,
- if the chip is removable, remove the chip and flash it either in another board (hot-swap flash or "hotflash") or at a flashing service, or buy a replacement chip from somewhere like www.badflash.com

[lucske74]

And if you clear the CMOS ! Can you then into the bios !

[NickS]

BIOS ROM checksum error

Detecting floppy drive A media...
Drive A error. System halt

This is BIOS recovery mode. This is not a CMOS checksum error.

[PeteV]

Hi!

During the last weeks I have been on the same spot as you.

So, if you still once again could reach to the same status with your
computer, please check the following routine:

1. format a bootable diskette (with io.sys, command.com etc.)
2. copy the exactly right BIOS flash xxxxxxxx.bin to it
3. copy a flash program to it, for ex. awdflash.exe
4. copy an autoexec.bat to it and edit that to execute
the xxxflash.exe with the xxxxxxxx.bin, and nothing else
5. insert the diskette and boot the computer, or vice versa
6. if your diskette drive will be recognized pertinently, and the chip is
in good working condition, this routine will flash/re-load the BIOS
7. if things went OK, the computer should be booting properly,
but if not, the research should be continued more in deep
and will turn much more complicated ...


Best regards,

Pete V.

[PeteV]

Hi!

Still some additional comments to my previous reply.

The BIOS checksum error message is natural due to a corrupted/missing
code in the BIOS chip or the death of the BIOS chip itself.

The Detecting floppy drive A media message comes from the BIOS
Boot Block, which is the most minimal stump of code intended to get
the mobo to wake-up and to get even the floppy up in case of the
BIOS full code dismissal.

The Drive A error. System halt. message is natural due to the missing
of a bootable floppy on the drive.

So, if everything works this far, and there is a good flash floppy in the
drive (see my previous reply), you may be lucky to get the BIOS
re-flashed and your mobo in life once again. Still there is a chance,
that the BIOS chip itself is corrupted on another area than the
Boot Block, and this will not work to a happy end, but ... then
you could begin to try the hot-swapping and flashing procedure for
another new BIOS chip on another mobo (see other articles on this
forum and these Wim's BIOS pages).

Please, keep the forum informed, where you go/are with this case,
I may come back still with some more hints later on.


Best regards,

Pete V.